Alfred Tennyson, Ulysses

Dana Aicha Shaaban (Texas Tech University)

Ed. by Grace Moore, University of Otago
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.07: English Writing and Culture of the Victorian Period, 1837-1901.
Vol. editors: Gillian Fenwick (University of Toronto), Jessica Gossling (Goldsmiths College, University of London)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1833 - 1842

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Poetry (any)

Resources

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Written in 1833 and published in 1842, Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem “Ulysses” remains one of the poet’s most celebrated works. Inspired by Homer’s

The Odyssey

and Dante’s

Inferno,

Tennyson composed an intricately layered poem to deal with the grief and heartbreak he experienced after losing his close friend, Arthur Henry Hallam. Hallam’s death influenced much of Tennyson’s poetry, including “Tithonus” (1860) and especially

In Memoriam A. H. H

. (1850).

The protagonist of Tennyson’s “Ulysses” is the legendary mythical Greek hero and King of Ithaca (also known as Odysseus) who reflects on the need to push through hard times. Tennyson’s “Ulysses” exhibits the human desire for progress, knowledge, and perseverance. At the same time, the poem offers an

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2852 words

Citation: Shaaban, Dana Aicha. "Ulysses". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 January 2025 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=10617, accessed 18 January 2025.]

Alfred Tennyson, Ulysses

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